In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

He looked at the person who had been released to relay the message.

"Do they know your true identities?"

"No, we don't know. If we did, we'd probably be dead right now."

"There are some Tibetan troops in the Tamu tribe area, who seem to be protecting her. When we arrived, they were holding a sacrificial ceremony. We heard the woman mobilizing local slaves to prepare to reinforce the front line."

Li Yuanchang sneered: "By sheer chance, we've stumbled upon a big fish."

Bon religion significantly enhanced, and even decisively improved, the combat and mobilization capabilities of the Tibetan army; to put it bluntly, it used so-called witchcraft to brainwash them.

If we could capture these Nine Goddesses, it would be a major blow to morale, and we could even use them to counter-control Tibet.

"Did you draw the route we asked you to along the way?"

"Your Highness, it's done!" The returning man quickly took off his clothes and drew the picture inside, thus avoiding being discovered by the Tibetans.

Li Yuanchang took it, and in an instant, he had an idea.

"Go and fetch Liao Jie and Huang Tu for me."

"yes!"

"..."

Based on the map and reconnaissance data, the straight-line distance to Kuyeshan is about 120 li, but the actual distance is much farther.

At an altitude of over 3,000 meters, the terrain is rugged and difficult to traverse, making it unsuitable for large-scale military operations. Moreover, such terrain would be too conspicuous, and the Tibetan regular army might discover them before they even arrive.

Therefore, this time Li Yuanchang plans to use a small elite force to carry out precise decapitation and capture, as well as rescue operations.

Once the slave owners, namely the pure-blooded Tibetans of the Tamu tribe, are killed, the rest of the tribe will fall apart.

Originally, Li Yuanchang only wanted Rhodiola rosea, but now, this one of the nine goddesses of the Bon religion has also been added to his list.

For this operation, he specially mobilized the elite guards of the high-altitude tribes of Huangtu, who are currently the only ones capable of adapting to high altitudes and altitude sickness.

In addition, he mobilized a 100-man elite scout force as an assistant.

They were equipped with almost everything good the Far Eastern Army had, including Hanlei, repeating crossbows, telescopes, compasses, and insulated snakeskin bags.

Comparable to modern elite special forces, this operation penetrated deep behind enemy lines to carry out decapitation strikes, fundamentally changing the conventional thinking behind large-scale troop operations.

Over two days, Li Yuanchang rehearsed the operation several times on the sand table based on intelligence, and finally settled on a feasible plan.

The operation was to be led by Liao Jie and Huang Tu, who were to arrive and infiltrate Kuye Mountain late at night seven days later.

Liao Jie sent men outside to make noise and set fire to the horses in order to attract the attention of the Tamu tribe.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Huangtu and his group disguised themselves as Tibetan soldiers and infiltrated the area, seizing control of the sacrificial altar of the Tamu tribe, which was said to be the place where the goddess resided.

The operation was scheduled to be completed in half an hour. After that, they would need another hour to harvest the Rhodiola rosea and pack it up to take away.

After achieving their objective, they will return via the Changdan River, which runs southwest of Tuyuhun.

From a time perspective, as long as the speed is fast enough and the horses on Kuye Mountain are successfully burned, the Tibetan army will have already returned by the time they receive the news, leaving them no time to intercept or surround the enemy.

The entire operation was both simple and difficult. As long as the decapitation was successful, gaining control of the Tamu tribe would be easy.

Besides meticulous planning and coordination, it all comes down to the military's capabilities.

The operation officially began on October 5th.

Approximately 150 people participated in the decapitation operation, with another 300 providing support at the Chōta River.

Li Yuanchang devised the plan but did not go in person. As the commander-in-chief, he was not allowed to leave the headquarters under normal circumstances.

But he didn't sit idle either. In order to cover the passage of people, he mobilized several cavalry units and began to launch feigned attacks on the Tibetans who were hiding in the plateau.

Every day, the vast plains of Tuyuhun are filled with the swift movements of the Far Eastern Army cavalry, creating a great commotion, as if they are about to sweep through the land.

As a result, the Tibetan cavalry dared not show their faces anywhere, burning, killing, and looting, for fear of being caught in the wilderness by the Far East Army and then annihilated.

Time passed day by day.

Within the territory of Tuyuhun, all was peaceful.

By October 8th, Li Yuanchang had basically lost contact with Huang Tu and the others.

This means they have entered the area under the actual control of the Tibetans.

At present, the Far East Army effectively controls the area east of Qinghai Lake and a large plain in the south, occupying 60% of the territory of Tuyuhun.

The remaining 40% are either buffer zones or plateaus occupied by the Tibetans.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate, with the Tibetans not daring to descend freely and only daring to launch surprise attacks, while the Far East Army never truly set foot on the plateau for combat.

"Your Highness, the latest report from the front lines indicates that the Tibetan troops on the western plateau have been largely lured to gather in the north."

"With General Xue Rengui personally in command, the enemy thought we were about to launch our third major offensive."

"The scouts at the foot of the mountain have seen flags flashing and dark clouds looming over the plateau more than once with their binoculars; it's undoubtedly the main force," Guo Chao said softly from outside the door.

"Understood. Have Xue Rengui continue the pressure, so that Dayan Mangbuzhi cannot be distracted."

"yes!"

Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute and then left.

The entire Deer Palace was absolutely quiet and heavily guarded. Even Murong Khan had to report his arrival and pass through numerous checkpoints before he could come here.

Deep within the beaded curtain, Murong Ji stood barefoot on the ground, leaning against the railing, her temples already damp with fragrant sweat.

"Your Highness, I can't stand up."

The next second, Murong Ji was lifted into the air, her snow-white legs being lifted up by a pair of strong hands.

Murong Ji screamed.

After a high-decibel count of twelve breaths, Li Yuanchang suddenly exhaled a breath of stale air, and then the two of them collapsed onto the soft couch.

"Your Highness, you are so amazing." Murong Ji's eyes were alluring, exuding the charm of a woman in love.

Li Yuanchang grinned.

"Many people say that."

"If I could follow Your Highness in this life, I would die without regret." With her last bit of strength, Murong Ji curled up into his chest.

The beautiful woman became a docile kitten.

Li Yuanchang hugged her without saying a word, his gaze lost in thought.

Murong Ji looked up, her tired eyes forcing a glimmer of energy, though she seemed somewhat uneasy.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

Li Yuanchang came to his senses: "I just suddenly thought of the matter of Kuyeshan."

"I wonder how things are over there."

"While the soldiers are on the move, I am here stealing pleasures. I am truly ashamed."

puff……

Murong Ji was amused; it wasn't like this just now.

"Your Highness, the Far East Army is invincible and will surely succeed."

"It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the Tibetans have already lost their power in Tuyuhun."

Li Yuanchang smiled noncommittally: "If the problem isn't solved, it will always be a problem."

"As long as there is even one Tibetan soldier left in Tuyuhun, it cannot be considered a complete recapture."

Murong Ji nodded, then offered herself to him, got up, her long hair falling down, and her spring scenery was revealed, it was truly as smooth as water.

"Your Highness, don't think about these things for now. Look at you, even in bed you're still thinking about the war."

"Is it because I'm not pretty enough?"

She bit her lip, her eyes watery.

The value of the saying "Young people don't know the goodness of women, and mistake a young girl for a treasure" is still rising.